This week, something historic is happening in the United States. A WOMAN has been nominated for president of the United States!! We should be celebrating. Facebook should be full of smiling, ecstatic women and girls, celebrating that one more barrier is down, one more opportunity is available to US! This moment IS BIG, and we need to celebrate! How many times did you hear, "No woman should be president. Men are the only ones who are capable." I've heard it--a lot. Made me mad the first time, and still makes me angry when I hear it (the last time I heard it was last week). What the hell? We are an amazing country, we are leaders in this world, and we haven't yet had a woman president??? And now we are being given that chance, and we are...subdued. What is wrong with us?
Hillary Clinton might not be your first choice for the first woman president, but the actual feat should be wildly applauded. For after this, nominating a woman for president will have already been done; it will be far less of a deal than it's been for over 220 years. Hillary has made it easier. Easier for the next, and the next, and the next.
I cannot believe we weren't out dancing in the streets.
I haven't been. I've felt thrilled, amazed, proud, happy, and I've felt like shouting.
But I haven't.
I haven't.
I think I have done it out of respect for my friends who are supporters of Bernie Saunders. I know they are disappointed, hurting, angry. I know this because I felt EXACTLY the same way in 2008. I supported Hillary Clinton, and Barack Obama ended up being the candidate. Back in 2008, my friends and family who supported Obama were kind, and did not gloat when he secured the nomination. They allowed me to mourn a little, to be disappointed, and that in turn allowed me to completely and absolutely support Barack Obama for President. I campaigned for him. I encouraged my family and friends to vote for him. I argued (and still do) with friends on his behalf.
I hope my friends who supported Bernie Saunders will be able to do the same. I am not saying this because I am trying to "shame" you into supporting Hillary Clinton, but because because I think she will be the best person for the job. Not only that, but her coattails will be long, and we will have many other Democrats in office because of her--she has recognized the need for other party wins already, and has been actively campaigning for those who are "down ticket"--those running for the House and Senate, for governor and for state legislatures.
Because here's a FACT. If you are like me, you have "felt the burn" of the past six years. Six long years when all the hopes and dreams and concrete plans of President Obama have been stopped, stomped on, and hatefully ignored by the GOP members of Congress. Because the simple truth is, you can dream big; you can have the most glorious plans for this nation. But if you don't have Congress behind you, willing to make those dreams into law, you will be left with nothing. You will be left feeling pain and anger, which is the way that many people are now feeling. From school board to dogcatcher to city council to governor--those are the officials who will have the most impact on YOUR life (Don't believe me? Try to get a marriage license if you are a same sex couple in any number of places. It's been humiliating.). But if we want to make change--real change--at the national level, if we want wonderful things FOR EVERY AMERICAN, then we have to elect members to Congress who will work with the president, not against them. If we can build enough excitement and support for Hillary Clinton, we can get those people elected too (how many of you have pushed the "Democrat" button on the computer screen, knowing that all those candidates will be elected? Trickle down at it's best).
We can make this nation greater. We can. But we have to recognize it's a group effort. We know what happens when a president does not have the support of Congress. We have seen too many dreams die in the past six years, and if you're like me, you are tired of it. In the primaries, we all chose candidates who made us dream big; made us believe in a brighter future. But if we ignore the fact that one person--one presidential candidate--cannot do it all, then we face another two, four, or six years of disappointment and anger. We will "feel the burn", and we will leave our children a country that is far less than it could have been.
I cannot, with good conscience, do that. I will not do that. I will do all I can to elect a good president, AND a good Congress, AND good state officials.
Come November, I will be able to honestly say I did all I could. I hope you will be able to say that too.
